Predictors of Public or Private Employment for Business College Graduates

Race was a significant predictor of sector of employment two years after graduation for White and Black alumni of a New York undergraduate business college but not for Hispanic or Asian alumni. Significantly fewer White alumni and significantly more Black alumni worked in government than expected from the alumni sample. The odds that White alumni worked in government rather than in private were only half as large as the odds that Whites in the total employed labor force worked in government rather than in private. The odds that government employed Black rather than White alumni were almost twice the odds that government employed Blacks rather than Whites from the total employed labor force. College graduation thus reduced the likelihood that White alumni would seek government employment. For White alumni, the best predictor of sector of employment was major in college. White alumni who had majored in accounting, finance and investments, computer information systems and marketing were less likely to work in government than White alumni who had majored in management or any other subject. For Black alumni the best predictors were the evaluation of curricular guidance (1986 and 1984 alumni) and whether or not the person had a job or job offer by graduation (1984 alumni). Black alumni who rated curricular guidance most favorably and who had no job or job offer by graduation were the most likely group to work in government. Age, sex and current salary were not significant predictors of sector of employment for either White or Black alumni.